Colorado and Gunderson Newsletter: March 2024

System Backend Progress

Since the December newsletter, one critical task was pending completion in January of 2024. The turnup of the backend systems ended up being delayed in January, and significant progress was made in month of February. While progress was made in configuring the back-office equipment, it was not fast enough to be completed before the end of February. That delay then prevented CBX and the City from being able to perform field tests. As it stands now, it is expected that the network mainline will be fully lit by March 8^th. Field testing will begin on the week of March 11^th, and crews will begin verifying light at both the pole and home.

This means that those who already have drops constructed, will soon be eligible for an indoor installation. The following section of this letter will go into detail regarding drops and next steps. Once light level testing is completed for a home, the homeowner will be notified and scheduled for an indoor installation.

Drop Construction Progress

As of the writing of this newsletter, there are 10 fully completed drops that will be contacted towards the end of next week to set up an installation time. Those homes will be contacted via email, text message or voice call to schedule an appointment. Those who are currently under construction for a drop will be ready for an indoor installation once the construction is completed and light to the home is verified.

As it stands right now, there are 68 requests for service on Colorado and Gunderson Rd. The remaining 58 requests will begin sequential construction on the week of March 18^th. Given the clustering of orders, crews will most likely be working west on Colorado towards 362^nd. Two crews will be performing drops. Clackamas County will be constructing the aerial drops using their in-house crews and, FiberTel will be building out the underground home drops. FiberTel is set to start in late March or early April, so it will be a few more weeks before those with underground drops are notified. The speed in which aerial drops can be construction is not entirely known at this point but will be identified in the upcoming weeks, once aerial construction begins. Once the buildout speed is identified, SandyNet and CBX staff members will be able to better guess how long the remaining drop construction will take to finalize.

Feel free to reach out and verify your order status with SandyNet staff. While we won’t be able to provide a firm construction date until earlier next month, we can make sure your order is confirmed and on the schedule to be built out.

Home Installations

After the drop to the home is completed, the only piece remaining is the indoor installation. The drop cable will come up to each house either overhead or underground to a demarcation box. From there, a fiber cable will need to be run along the exterior of the home and eventually brought inside to connect to an indoor wall mounted modem. In special circumstances, other routes are possible, however installation technicians try to install the fiber in a relatively hidden location that is safe from potential damage.

Between the time when the indoor installation is scheduled and the date of the install, it is recommended that the homeowner identify an optimal location for a modem and router that is on the inside face of an exterior wall. The SandyNet technician will work with each homeowner to identify an optimal and appropriate path to install the equipment on the day of installation. Since the indoor installation does require a fiber optic line to be drilled into the home, it is important that both the technician and homeowner work together to find the best route. It is also important to note that SandyNet will not be able to use existing phone lines or coax cables for its connection. If a household is looking to maintain a land line telephone, the modem should be installed close to a phone jack or existing phone base station.

If you have questions regarding speed, billing, Wi-Fi, phone service, technical support, or indoor installations, please reach out to SandyNet support. Many indoor installation questions may be unanswerable over the phone and will most likely need to be brought up on the day of installation where a SandyNet technician can walk the path with the homeowner and resolve any issues or conflicts.

SandyNet hours of operations are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. You can also email our support team at support@sandynet.org or call 503-668-2923.